


Burn Them in Effigy Before We Burn Out

by RobinsonsWereHere



Category: Psych
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/M, cheerleader jules, football player Shawn, henry really wants shawn to play football, i'm aiming for fluff but it'll probably get angsty, jules and lassie are bffs, juliet enjoys the sport of cheerleading but hates the toxic atmosphere, maddie and henry are about to get divorced yeah its not great, not a positive view of football or cheerleading, now i have beauty and the beast stuck in my head, shawn doesn't have a great relationship with his parents, shawn likes to analyze the game but doesn't really wanna play, starts in like sophomore year so they're like 15/16, they all take psychology together
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-08
Updated: 2019-04-05
Packaged: 2019-09-14 11:02:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16911708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RobinsonsWereHere/pseuds/RobinsonsWereHere
Summary: A football player who'd rather analyze the game from afar, a cheerleader with a big heart and a strong sense of justice, a wallflower who hates everything except for history and his best friend, and a geek who may be the only one in the group with any common sense. What is this, the Breakfast Club?(no. It's me getting inspired by 3x15 and starting a whole new fic. Enjoy!)





	1. Two Versions of Every Person

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, so I'm starting a n o t h e r fic. On the off chance any Lost in Space fans are reading this, I'm sorry! I promise I'm working on that fic. I just got this idea in my head and thought it would be a cool universe to work with- high school drama, young love, tight-knit friendships. Oh yeah, and putting them at fifteen or sixteen means we get family drama with Shawn as well. Hold on for the ride!

Burn Them in Effigy Before We Burn Out

_”Shawn Spencer completes the winning field goal for Santa Barbara! The clock has run down! Thunderbolts 24, Expeditioners 21! Let’s hear it for our top-notch football players!”_

Shawn ignored the continuous yells of their commentator as he was buffeted along by his teammates. It was only the third game of the season, but already the other football players were acting like he was going to win them the championship. Shawn went along with it, laughing for no reason and throwing a wink at the cheerleaders, who had descended from their pyramids and were now jumping to the band’s music, neglecting choreography in lieu of celebrating the victory. Twelve of them grinned back and cascaded into giggles. One simply rolled her eyes.

As the attached players ran off to make out with their girlfriends under the bleachers, the part of the team that was left (maybe a third, including all but one of the freshmen) hit the showers. Shawn took his quickly, bade the last few players an obligatory goodnight, and headed out to find his dad and Gus.

“Hey, awesome game tonight, Shawn! That was one Hell of a kick!” Shawn sighed and gave a halfhearted grin as his dad threw an arm around his shoulder. 

“Yeah, thanks dad.”

“Oxnard really has a strong team this year, that was close! You made the difference!”

“You wouldn’t have had to make the difference if McNab had gotten his head out of his ass and actually played defense, but you did do great,” chimes in Gus.

“Aw, McNab’s all head-over-heels for Francine. As soon as he started dating her, all the amazing skill from Summer training disappeared. I guess that’s just how it goes,” sighed Shawn. As much as _playing_ football bored him to death, he was good at analyzing it. The freshman had a natural-born affinity for the game, but like Shawn had said earlier, he was getting distracted by his girlfriend.

“That’s why you need to stay away from those cheerleaders, son,” cautioned Henry. “They may be pretty, but they’re not worth messing up a game.”

“Dad, cheerleaders are the most toxic clique of people to ever exist, and they talk about three things: how they look, who they’re screwing, and who they wish they were screwing. I have absolutely zero desire to get close to any of that,” Shawn groaned.

“You sure? I don’t think all of them are like that…” Gus ventured

Shawn knew what his friend was trying to get at. “Totally certain, Gus.”

“There’s an exception to every rule, Shawn…”

“Gus, we’re not talking about this with my dad.”

“Only ‘cause you know I’m right.”

“Alright, if either one of you says another word, you’ll get to watch me drive away before you walk home by yourselves in the dark,” Henry announces. They arrive at the car and remain more or less silent until they reach Gus’ house, where Shawn grabs his overnight bag from the back before telling his dad that they’ll see him in the morning. Sleepovers after a game are one of the few things Shawn enjoys about playing football.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

It’s almost nine in the morning on the sunny California Saturday when Juliet finally slows to a stop, leaning against the fence of some café’s outdoor terrace. “Three miles in just over twenty-six minutes! Nice run!”

“Eh, we could’ve gone faster,” her running partner says, panting.

“For one thing, this was for fun, not a race, and for another, I don’t really think we could’ve.”

“Okay, well, we could’ve gone faster if we hadn’t done a mile and a half on the beach,” counters Carlton.

Before Juliet can respond, one of the café’s customers calls out her name. “Hey! Juliet! Why the hell are you running this early in the morning?” Juliet’s nose wrinkles in distaste as she looks at Carlton, but she’s smiling when she turns around.

“Ah, Viv! Wow, I thought you’d be too hungover to get out of bed before ten!” She says, forcing a laugh. Vivian Mitchell is sitting with Catherine Bond and Leah Roberts around a small table at the edge of the patio. The three cheerleaders join their teammate in the false laughter.

“Well, we’re not all lucky enough to go home with Brett Goodall,” Viv jokes. Brett, the quarterback for the Thunderbolts, is dating the cheer captain. He is exactly the opposite kind of guy Juliet would consider herself ‘lucky’ to go home with.

“Oh, yes, Brett is definitely the ideal man,” she says sarcastically.

“Well, I don’t suppose you’d know, judging by how much time you spend with _Lassiter_ ,” digs Catherine.

“See, the thing is, Carlton and I are friends,” Juliet shoots back, her smile fading. “I legitimately enjoy spending time with him, which is more then I can say for any of you.”

“I guess it’s your choice. O’Hara. See you at practice,” says Leah.

“Unfortunately,” Juliet replies, turning away from the table.

Lassiter glares at the three cheerleaders as he leaves. “C’mon, Juliet. I’ve got a better idea for breakfast.”

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Shawn is gleefully consuming his pineapple smoothie when he spots the duo heading toward them. He bats at Gus’ arm. “Gus! Look who it is!”

Gus sighs. “Shawn, you know both of them kind of hate you, right?”

“Nah, Jules is just about the nicest person in our school. Hey Jules!” He calls. He doesn’t miss the way her chest heaves in a sigh, but the smirk she gives him is genuine, if not one hundred percent friendly. He’ll take it.

“Well, if it isn’t Santa Barbara’s star kicker,” she teases.

Shawn scoffs. “I’m not in this for the glory, Miss O’Hara. I’m in it for… well, no, I don’t really enjoy playing the game either. I suppose I’m in it for the women.”

Juliet rolls her eyes. “You don’t like the game you don’t like the team, and I’ve seen you turn down more girls than ask Gus out in a year. Why do you play football again?”

“Who says I don’t like the team?”

“Oh, right, that broken nose you gave John Hummus last month was friendly,”

“John was treating his girlfriend like shit and lying about it. He deserved a hell of a lot more than a broken nose,” Shawn replies. His jaw clenches just remembering the bruises on her face and neck, the way John had growled despicable things when he thought no one was watching, when he thought no one would care. Shaking himself out of it, he notices Juliet giving him an odd look, her brow furrowed. “What?”

She shakes her head, turning to leave as Lassiter hands her a blueberry smoothie. “You’re kind of an odd guy, Shawn Spencer.”

He grins after the retreating pair. “Jules, that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”


	2. In which a day starts bad and gets worse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The teachers at Santa Barbara High School do not get paid enough to deal with Shawn Spencer, Burton Guster, Juliet O'Hara, and Carlton Lassiter on a Monday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When did I start this? November? IDK man.

On Monday morning, Shawn purposefully oversleeps. Well, not at first. He’d woken not to his alarm but to an argument loud enough to be heard through the walls, and with Shawn’s sleeping habits, that was saying something. He can hear Henry yelling that he’s trying to save his marriage and it would work if Maddie would give him something to work with (unlikely), and Maddie yelling back that he would have a hell of a lot more to ‘work with’ if he was around for more than a few hours a day. This goes on for far too long before Henry yells that she can’t exactly ask him to be around more often when she’s already made him late for work, and Shawn waits several minutes after the door slams before he even risks getting out of bed. He eventually prepares himself for the day and then, not wanting to travel through the rest of the house and risk setting off his mother, grabs a half-eaten granola bar from his desk and climbs out the window. He’ll get Gus to bring him a yogurt or something.

///////////////////

Six minutes into her first period Psychology class, Juliet hears the door open, then shuffling behind her, and then feels a familiar tug on her ponytail. She really should start wearing her hair in a bun. She listens to her teacher explain that because it’s Monday she’s not going to subject them to note-taking this early in the day, and if they could please read the articles she’s assigned and respond to them that’s all she needs them to do today, and then makes it half a paragraph into the first one before her curiosity gets the better of her.

“How come you’re late today, Shawn?” She asks, turning in her seat.

“Missed the bus ‘cause I was too busy trying to think up a new nickname for Lassie-face,” comes the immediate and clearly false reply.

“You walk to school,” grunts Carlton, not looking up from his paper.

“You’re almost out of milk.”

“What?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I thought we were demonstrating the knowledge we’ve gained from stalking each other.”

“One of these days I’m actually going to separate you four,” calls Ms. Hawthorn. She’s been threatening this since the first week of school, when Shawn had flirted with Juliet for three class periods straight until she’d switched seats with Carlton, who had threatened to throw him out the window if he didn’t shut the hell up. Shawn, of course, had switched seats with Gus, putting them right back where they’d started, but he’d toned down the flirting, though that was probably more due to finally getting a reaction than from any fear of Lassiter.

“But I’ve already finished the work,” Shawn shoots back cheekily.

“No, you haven’t. We’ve been here for less than half an hour and you got here late!” Lassiter scoffs.

“He’s very fast,” points out Gus. Juliet cranes her neck to look at the questions at the bottom of the page, and sure enough, they’re all filled out.

“Jules, are you trying to copy my answers?” Shawn teases with a grin. She doesn’t dignify that with a response, simply rolling her eyes and turning back to her own desk. He’s surprisingly quiet for the rest of the period, and without his constant stream of noise, the rest of them are disinclined to chat on a Monday morning. Juliet finishes the articles and the next day’s English homework, too.

/////////////////////

Gus folds his legs and sits down in his corner of the hallway, waiting patiently for his best friend to arrive. Shawn shows up in exactly eight minutes and forty-three seconds, which Gus knows because he has nothing better to do than time it. Shawn takes a bite of Panini. “Hey, Gus, are the history notes due today?”

“Yes, Shawn. Have you done them?”

“Well…” he draws out the word, and Gus sighs. “I mean, I could do them now, but Riggs probably won’t even check them.”

Gus is about to let Shawn know how horrible of an idea that is when their normally solitary lunch is interrupted. Juliet sweeps in, not bothering with a greeting as she sits down. “Quick, you’re having a deep conversation with me about something important and intellectually stimulating.”

Shawn doesn’t miss a beat. _”Intellectually_ stimulating?”

Juliet smirks. “I was talking to Gus.”

Gus laughs and plays along. “Did you know that a large percentage of single-stream recycling ends up in landfills?”

“I feel like I’ve heard that somewhere… Oh, yeah! On the radio they said that was becoming an even bigger issue now that China isn’t buying our trash.”

“Exactly!” Gus can’t believe his luck; he’s been hoping to discuss the issue ever since he’d heard the article earlier that week, but Shawn had refused. “There are quite a few types of plastic that can’t actually be recycled. It’s sad.”

“Especially when people litter and it gets in the ocean. Last summer I volunteered for a few weeks at a turtle nesting area and my job, every day, was to clean up the beach so it wouldn’t be a hazard when the turtles hatched. You wouldn’t _believe_ the stuff I picked up.”

Gus nods. “You know that’s right.”

“Hey, Jules, how come you’re hiding from your teammates?” Gus looks up when Shawn speaks, and sure enough, there’s a group of cheerleaders turning the corner at the end of the hall. He hadn’t even noticed them pass.

Juliet makes a face. “They’re under the misguided impression that I enjoy spending time with them. I’d rather not suffer through another discussion of which football player is the hottest for the, let’s see, third time today.”

Gus knows what Shawn’s going to say before he says it. “Who do you think it is?” Juliet rolls her eyes, and before she can respond, a long shadow blocks out the light in front of them.

“Juliet, why the hell are you sitting here?”

Juliet twists to look at Lassiter but doesn’t get up. “I was avoiding Leah and Malorie.”

“That’s fair. You want to come to the library with me?”

“Yeah, let me finish my sandwich. I need to find a book to do a report on anyway.”

“I’ll wait with you. The librarians give me dirty looks when I bring food in there anyway. I can survive ten minutes of conversation with these morons.”

Gus has mixed feelings about this intrusion into his and Shawn’s normal routine, but it doesn’t go too badly. They turn to the topic of weather, and how much longer it’ll be comfortable out on the beach. As Juliet and Lassiter head for the library, Gus realizes that’s the first thing they’ve got in common outside of classes- they all like sand and the sea, if for different reasons. _Huh,_ he thinks. _Interesting. Maybe we should hang out with them more often._

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

“Of course, it goes without saying that we’ll be executing proper safety techniques for the duration of this lab. That means wearing gloves and especially goggles, which should be…” Shawn stops listening to the chemistry teacher as he drones on about lab safety. _It’s the same speech every time; why does he think we need to hear it again?_ Instead, he turns his attention to Juliet’s notebook, which is sitting on the table, open to the lab they had to copy for that class. Shawn honestly had copied the lab on time, but he’d left his notebook on the hall table, which fell into the category of ‘places to avoid when trying to leave the house unnoticed’. He got a solid look at the instructions before Juliet flipped the notebook closed, giving him an unimpressed look.

“Just because you didn’t do your homework doesn’t mean you can copy mine, Spencer.”

“I did it! I just left it at home,” he protests.

“Uh-huh. Sure.”

“Seriously!”

“Mister Spencer, Miss O’Hara, it’s time to prepare the lab stations,” calls their instructor. “I would hope that after the number of… mishaps we’ve had already this year, the two of you would pay more attention.”

“I am paying attention,” Shawn muttered under his breath. “Just not to you.”

Juliet elbowed him, but missed, and spilled the beaker of ethanol over the table. At the station next to them, a junior whose name Shawn couldn’t be bothered to remember (It was something preppy. Daniel? Dean?) ignited his bunsen burner, or tried to.The sparks from the striker weren’t enough to light the stream of gas, but they did hit the ethanol. At once, the counter went up in flames. Juliet yelped. Shawn shrieked. If asked, he would insist it was the other way around. 

The room descends quickly into chaos. Juliet sweeps their papers out of the literal line of fire before they can catch, and Shawn thinks enough to turn on the sink as much as he can. While this does put out the fire, it also soaks him, Juliet, and the lab stations on either side of it. They suddenly find themselves at the center of a lot of very unwanted attention.

Mr. Conlin is pressing his lips into a very thin line as he turns vaguely purple. When he speaks, his teeth are gritted. “How,” he asks, “did you manage to start a _fire_ within three minutes of beginning the lab, _without even turning on your bunsen burner?”_

“Technically,” Shawn argues, “We didn’t start it.” He points to the junior with the striker. “He did.”

Shawn and Juliet are banned from participating in labs for a month; they’re told they’ll get alternate assignments instead. They’re also given a week’s worth of detention. It’s her first detention in her academic career, Juliet informs him with a glare. That’s the last thing she says to him for a solid week.

Shawn decides he doesn’t need to mention any of this to his parents. The school does anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: Lassie gets an Instagram. Why would he possibly do that?


	3. In which it's a week until Homecoming and Shawn doesn't have a date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lassie admits a closely-guarded secret. Gus attends a football game. Juliet picks the wrong day to be elsewhere during lunch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To make up for my multi-month hiatus, here's another chapter :)

Almost two weeks after the fact, the ‘eighth period chemistry incident’ is still being talked about. Of course, it’s been wildly exaggerated; accounts range from something involving flamethrowers to Shawn and Juliet knocking over a bunsen burner whilst making out. The latter had been vehemently denied by Juliet. On top of all of that, at least three of their classmates had gotten the actual fire on video. Lassiter, whom Shawn didn’t even know had an instagram, had obtained the footage and added it to a highlight on his page. That fifteen-second clip is why Shawn and Carlton are currently sitting in the principal’s office, looking anywhere but at each other.

“Boys, do you know why you’re here today?” Asks Principal Hapgood.

“No.”

“Not a clue.”

The principal sighs. “You’ve both been students at this school for over a year now. I’m sure you’re aware that we’ve got a strict anti-bullying policy, including cyberbullying.” He looks at them as if to ensure they’re listening, and they nod, still unsure where this is going. “Mr. Lassiter, it’s come to our attention that you recorded Mr. Spencer’s… ordeal in chemistry a few weeks ago.”

“Wait, _that’s_ why I’m here?” Carlton scoffs. “He laughs at it, he thinks it’s funny. Spencer and I are…” he trails off, catching himself, but it’s too late.

“We’re what Lassie?” Shawn grins. “Say it!”

Lassiter frowns, but there’s only one way out of this office. “He doesn’t care. We’re friends.”

“Ha! I knew it!”

This goes on for almost ten more minutes before Principal Hapgood tires of having them in his proximity and escorts them from the office. Carlton barely waits for the principal to round the corner before decking Shawn; he’s got to keep his reputation somehow. Assistant Principal Austen does witness this, but moves on with nothing more than a heavy sigh. Shawn, completely unfazed by the bruise, watches her.

“Poor woman. Santa Barbara doesn’t pay its teachers nearly enough.”

“You tell anyone about this, and I’ll break your nose.”

“Worth it.”

Lassiter sighs and begins to resign himself to the fact that Spencer has wormed his way into his life. Oh well. Worse things have happened.

-~-~-~-~-

Gus is sandwiched in between his mother and Henry Spencer, watching the first quarter of the football game. It’s a good night, as far as game nights go. It’s cool but not uncomfortable, and the game is going well enough that the crowd is happy but not so well that they’re hysteric. He’s getting comfortable with his jumbo churro when, to his shock, Lassiter appears.

“Hey, Guster,” calls the lanky teen. “Mind if I join you? My normal spot’s been taken by a couple of stoners.”

“Where do you normally sit that’s an ideal place to get high?” Gus wonders, switching places with his mom so he can scoot further down the bench.

“The corner in the fence near the snack stand. I hate school events, but Juliet’s brothers were too busy to drive her tonight.”

“Oh, okay. You want some churro?”

“Um… sure?” They sit in silence for a few minutes, munching on the snack and paying minimal attention to the players on the field. Then, Gus’ mom speaks up.

“Burton, are you going to introduce us to your friend?”

“Oh, yeah. Um, Lassie, this is my mom. Mom, this is Carlton Lassiter. He’s in my psychology class, and in trig.”

“Nice to meet you, Carlton! You must be a smart young man if you’re in Burton’s classes. You know, not even Shawn has trigonometry with him.”

 _”Mom,”_ Gus groans. “We’ve talked about this. Shawn didn’t _want_ to take trig. And if I was really that smart, I would have gone to Meitner.”

Lassiter scoffs. “You applied to Meitner? That place is ridiculous.”

Gus folds his arms. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Fine with me.” They watch the game until halftime, exchanging the odd comment about who should’ve been where, or what play was called incorrectly. As the clock runs out on the second quarter, they head for the fence near the cheerleaders.

“Juliet, I saw you do that cool flip when Shawn scored a field goal. That was impressive!” Gus exclaims.

“Thanks, Gus,” says Juliet, taking a drink from her water bottle. “Ooooh, are those Jumbo churros?”

“Gus, Lassie, Jules!” Shawn calls excitedly. “The whole gang is here!”

“I have to be here, Shawn.”

“I’m O’Hara’s ride.”

“I’m _your_ ride.”

“Hey, did I tell you guys that Lassie said we were friends?” Lassiter groans and drops his head against the rail with a metallic _clang._

“Yeah, Shawn, you texted me in the middle of english class! I nearly got my phone confiscated because of you.”

“I misspoke,” Carlton protests. “I was just telling Hapgood what he wanted to hear.”

“Those two statements contradict each other,” Gus points out.

“Admit it, Carlton,” teases Juliet, “you’re not a total misanthropist.”

Lassiter frowns darkly. “You and Gus are decent. Spencer, you might even fall into that category if you learned when to shut your damn mouth.”

“You’ve already said it, Lassie. It’s all up here!” Shawn insists as he jogs back towards his teammates. Juliet glances up at the clock.

“I should probably head back as well. Carlton, I’ll see you in the parking lot after the game?”

“Negative. I’ll wait outside the locker rooms.” Juliet concedes this with a nod, then pushes herself up on the fence and backflips off of it. Gus’ eyes go wide, but Lassiter barely blinks. “Now you’re just showing off!”

-~-~-~-~-~-

The following Tuesday, Shawn reaches the lunch spot before Gus, Juliet, or Lassiter. Lassie and Jules, he knows, are doing last-minute prep on an english project, but he _never_ beats Gus. Frowning, he sits down to wait and begins munching on his fries.

“Shawn, guess what!” Gus exclaims.

“Your missing limited edition Spider-Man lunchbox from elementary school mysteriously reappeared?”

“Well, yes, but- wait, how do you know that?”

“Just a hunch…” Gus’ eyes narrow. “What were you originally saying?”

“Oh, yeah! Remember Mira, who dated me for like, a week last year before she moved away and we haven’t heard from her since?”

“How could I forget?”

“Well, she’s back in town! Apparently her family has a winery or two in Napa and she spent a year there, but now she’s in Santa Barbara again and she was wondering if I wanted to go to homecoming with her.”

“And you don’t find that the least bit suspicious?”

“Shawn, you’re just jealous.”

“Why would I be jealous of you dating a psychopath?”

“Because homecoming is this saturday, and you don’t have a date yet.”

“I do too!”

“Uh-huh.”

Shawn scans the hallway. Trish Connors hates his guts. April MacArthur had turned him down the year before. His gaze lands on the third member of that group. “Hey, Abigail! Wanna go to homecoming with me?”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah!”

“Uh, okay. Pick me up at seven, I’ll text you my address.”

“Great!” Shawn turns back to Gus, grinning. “I do _now.”_

Gus sighs. “You’re an idiot.”

“Perhaps. But I’m an idiot who is capable of wooing the ladies with a perfectly memorized balcony scene from Romeo and-” Shawn breaks off, his face falling. “Oh god. I am an idiot.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahahahahahahahaha I'm evil


	4. In Which Everyone is Miserable and There is a Slow Dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Homecoming Dance. It would have been fine- fun, even- had Shawn not gone with Abigail. But he's done exactly that, leaving Juliet to puzzle over why, exactly, this upsets her.

Juliet laughs as she and Carlton enter the school cafeteria, which is adorned with gold streamers and wall-mounted fake candles to fit this year’s theme. Each day of spirit week had centered around a Disney movie, with the dance themed after Beauty and the Beast. It’s corny and low-budget, but there’s food and music that’s not horrible. Besides, it’s not the decorations that make homecoming, it’s the friends.

“Do you see Shawn or Gus?” She asks, glancing behind her to make sure Carlton is still following.

“Uh, yeah, but they look busy,” he warns.

Juliet follows his gaze, first to the dance floor, where Gus is, for lack of a better term, getting it on with Mira, and then to a corner by the punch bowl. Shawn stands there, laughing at something she can’t hear. He’s with Abigail Lytar, and it sure as hell looks like he’s _with_ her. Juliet is about to turn and head in the other direction, but Shawn spots her. He startles a little, and she’s not sure why, just like she’s not sure why watching him with Abigail makes her stomach twist a bit, but she’ll have to worry about that later because he’s beckoning her over. “Jules! Lassie!”

“Hi, Shawn!” She calls, a little too loud, as they make their way over. “I didn’t realize you were going with someone tonight! Not that you would have told me, I mean, er, I just thought you and Gus would hang out, or… something.” She winces at her awkward rambling, still uncertain as to what’s triggering it.

“Oh, uh, yeah, I mean, normally we would, but Gus’ old crush just popped back into town and I suddenly needed a date-” he turns to Abigail, looking almost panicked. “Not that you’re just, like, a last minute choice-”

“Shawn, you shouted across the hallway at me two days before the dance.”

“Okay, it was last minute, but you’re still a wonderful girl…” Shawn continues in this fashion as Carlton drags Juliet away.

“What?” She asks, her nose wrinkling as she gives her friend a confused look.

“What’s going on with you? You only ramble like that when you’re uncomfortable for some reason.”

“Uncomfortable? I’m not uncomfortable,” she lies, tucking her hair behind her ear. “Why would I be uncomfortable?” _Seriously, I’m asking. There is absolutely no reason seeing Shawn and Abigail should throw me off like that. It’s not like I-_

“Do you _like_ him?” Carlton demands, incredulous.

She scoffs. “What? Are you crazy? Until, like, two weeks ago, I could barely stand him. I don’t have a crush on him!” _Now if I could only convince myself._

“Y’know what? I don’t care. This whole dance is stupid. Let’s go. Those two idiots won’t even notice. We can just get out of here and forget-”

“Oh, no. You’re not getting out of here that easily. Let’s go have some fun.”

////////////

Lassiter has never had less fun in his life.

Well, there was that Spanish project he had to do with Shawn, but having a miserable time is worse when you’re somewhere you’re supposed to be having a good time. He is not having a good time.

Guster and his crazy new girlfriend have migrated to the snacks, where she is now feeding him marshmallows. Spencer and his date are twirling around the dance floor, her laughing and him wearing a smile that, to Lassiter, seems a bit pasted-on. Next to him, Juliet stands silently, fidgeting with her hair as she focuses on Shawn. He’s pretty sure she doesn’t even know she’s doing it. With a sigh, Carlton ladles some punch from the punch bowl, handing a cup to Juliet before pouring one for himself. At least they can leave after Homecoming Court… in an hour and a half.

/////////////

Gus doesn’t mean to ignore his friends, but when he’s with Mira, he tends to forget about anything and everything else. He loses himself in the touch of her hand gripping his and the sound of her giggling laugh and if he looks straight at her, he feels like he’s looking at the sun.

No, that’s not quite right. Looking at the sun doesn’t make him feel dizzy or short of breath.

He hadn’t thought that his absence would affect their group much, but Lassiter is sulking by the punch bowl, Shawn is only half-listening to Abigail chatter about something Gus doesn’t understand, and Juliet has drifted away entirely and is now in a conversation with a junior in a well-pressed suit. She doesn’t seem to interested in the conversation, but when the taller kid- his name starts with a D, Gus knows he’s seen him around- touches her gently on the arm, she doesn’t pull away. Gus isn’t the only one who sees this; when he turns to raise an eyebrow at Shawn, his best friend looks disheartened.

Before Gus can dwell much further, the Seniors’ class president steps onto the stage to announce the homecoming court.

////////////

Shawn is expecting his name to be called, so he starts walking even before they call it. Surprising nobody, he’s Homecoming King, but the name called for Homecoming Queen does throw him off for a bit.

“Juliet O’Hara!”

_Well, this will be fun._

Tradition states that the homecoming queen and king have to dance together to a song that fits the theme of the dance. Tonight that is “Beauty and the Beast”. As the opening chords begin, Shawn offers his arm, and Juliet takes it without really looking at him.

_Tale as old as time_  
True as it can be  
Barely even friends  
Then somebody bends  
Unexpectedly 

They spin slowly around the dance floor, and now they’re standing close enough that she has to look at him. Juliet is flushed and her breathing is shallow, but Shawn thinks she can’t be worse than him. He feels like he’s burning, from embarrassment or the feel of her arms on his shoulders or just because the entire dance is watching them. He can almost forget that, though, as he stares into her eyes.

_Just a little change_  
Small, to say the least  
Both a little scared  
Neither one prepared  
Beauty and the Beast 

“Is it just me, or is this kind of awkward?” Shawn startles when Juliet speaks, her voice low and close to his ear.

“Uh… yeah, um, I guess? I don’t know, I, uh… listen, Jules, right after I asked Abigail-”

“You don’t have to explain. I mean, we’re barely even friends-” she winces, and he pretends not to notice the accidental quoting of the song- “And there’s no reason- I mean, It’s not like we would have gone _together,_ that would have been ridiculous-”

“So ridiculous.”

“Yeah.”

_Ever just the same_  
Ever a surprise  
Ever as before  
Ever just as sure  
As the sun will rise 

Shawn realizes he’s leaned in too close to Jules and tries to cover it with a joke. “Jeez, how long is this song?” Juliet laughs shakily, so he counts it a success.

_Tale as old as time_  
Tune as old as song  
Bittersweet and strange  
Finding you can change  
Learning you were wrong 

“Where’d you learn how to dance?” Juliet asks him, and Shawn has to take a minute to think about his answer, because her face is just about in his neck to hide from their classmates.

“Uh. Gus. Gus’ family made him take ballroom dance classes. You?”

“I wanted to do dance, and I was on the JV dance team in Miami in middle school, but then we moved to Santa Barbara and the closest I could get was cheerleading.”

“Oh, wow, that is a definite error in our school system.”

“Yeah.”

_Certain as the sun_  
Rising in the East  
Tale as old as time  
Song as old as rhyme  
Beauty and the Beast 

Shawn can’t believe he’s never noticed Juliet’s eyes before. They’re blue, but they’re so much more than that. They’re mesmerizing and dazzling and she’s looking at him in such a way that he feels like he can’t breathe. If he’s not careful, he’ll trip over his own feet. Or, wait, maybe he won’t have time to- the song is ending.

_Tale as old as time_  
Song as old as rhyme  
Beauty and the Beast 

Shawn and Juliet separate to the applause of their peers and Shawn remembers that there’s another girl he’s supposed to be dancing with. He rushes to Abigail’s side as if speed can make up for the fact that he’s far more interested in someone else. Idly he wonders if Jules will go back to talking with Declan- yes, Declan, _that’s_ his name- but she and Lassie appear to be on their way out. He overhears a bit of their conversation as they walk away.

 _”Now_ can we leave?”

“Yeah. I feel like we’ve done enough damage tonight.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been to one (1) hoco dance in my life and I didn't stay for the homecoming court. I hope that was at least semi-accurate (but I kind of don't care if it wasn't).

**Author's Note:**

> So, "John Hummus" is what I get for asking my sister for names. Leave a review, leave kudos, I love hearing from readers! Hope you liked it!


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